john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) (08/27/90)
Sprint's latest TV spot: "...We have REAL operators..."
1. Collect Call (after dialing 10333+0+AC+7D for Sprint and
10288+0+AC+7D for AT&T):
Sprint: "May I help you?" "Collect from John Higdon" "May I
have the number you are calling?" "[Number given]" "May I have
the number you are calling from?" "[Number given]"--"I have a
collect call from John Higdon will you accept?"....
AT&T: "May I help you?" "Collect from John Higdon" [number
already ringing] "I have a collect call from John Higdon in San
Jose, CA, will you pay?"...
2. Rate info request (dialing 10333+0 for Sprint and 10288+0 for AT&T):
Sprint: "Thank you for calling Sprint, may I help you?" "Yes,
could you give me the rate at this time [10:30PM Sun] for a
call to 619/243?" "Sir, our rate information is based on
mileage. Do you have any idea how far that is away?" "I think
about 300 miles" "Then it would cost $0.14 for the first minute
and $0.14 for each additional minute."
AT&T: "Thank you for using AT&T." "Could you give me the rate
at this time for a call to 619/243?" "That would be $0.15 for
the first minute and $0.11 for each additional, plus tax." [Now
that I find out the rate difference in AT&T's favor, I ask
myself why I went through all that hassle with the
Trailblazer's!!!]
3. Place name request (dialing as in -2-):
Sprint: "Thank you for calling Sprint, may I help you?" "Could
you give me the place name for 213/945?" "I'm sorry, did you
wish to be connected to information?" "No I want to know the
city name for that area code and prefix." "Could you give it to
me again?" "213/945" "Excuse me just a moment. [45 seconds]
That is Whittier, CA."
AT&T: "Thank you for using AT&T." "Could you give me the place
name for 213/945?" "Yes, it is [2 seconds] Whittier, CA."
I don't know what definition Sprint is using for the term "real" in
their ads, but if that means operator service like that from AT&T then
they are misleading potential customers. AT&T operators know the
number you are calling from as well as having essential information at
their finger tips. That old TSPS still dispatches calls better than
any of the Johnny-Come-Latelys. Maybe AT&T had better "lighten up",
but Sprint had better "shape up" when it comes to operator service.
John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395
john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !peter da silva <peter@ficc.ferranti.com> (08/31/90)
In article <11398@accuvax.nwu.edu> John Higdon <john@zygot.ati.com> writes: > Sprint's latest TV spot: "...We have REAL operators..." [Three examples of what seem to me to be very similar service.] > but Sprint had better "shape up" when it comes to operator service. You got the information you wanted each time. The difference seems lost in the noise to me. I've had similar results with Emily Latella. As for collect calls: I don't know about Sprint, but the last time anyone called us collect via AT&T it went like: "Hello, I have a collect call. Is this Stephanie da Silva?" "Yes" *Click* No "will you accept a call from..." or even "will you accept charges...". As it turned out, we didn't want to talk to this person and they were good enough to remove the charges. We didn't get instant credit, either. Peter da Silva. `-_-' +1 713 274 5180. 'U` peter@ferranti.com [Moderator's Note: Your story illustrates how all the carriers, including AT&T, are only as good as their front line personnel. The chain is as strong as its weakest link, etc. The customer knows nothing of the back office ... but he knows plenty about cranky service reps; dirty, stinky payphone booths; and phones which rip off his money. He remembers all the times the operator has sassed him. He could care less -- if he knows anything at all -- about 195 Broadway. That is why operators and service reps should be *highly paid* and *highly trained and skilled*. Its what's up front that counts! PAT]
John Higdon <john@bovine.ati.com> (08/31/90)
peter da silva <peter@ficc.ferranti.com> writes: > [Three examples of what seem to me to be very similar service.] If this was the impression you got, then I did an inadequate job of describing the events. Amplification must be in order. > As for collect calls: Yes, about collect calls. In the case of AT&T, I simply spoke my name and within five seconds was conversing with my party. In the case of Sprint, I had to give my name, the number I was calling (even after dialing it -- why should I have bothered to dial it?) and the number I was calling from. After all of this I had to wait many seconds for the operator to dial the call from scratch. It made the difference between five seconds and about one minute. That's hardly insignificant. In the case of requesting place name and rate information, the Sprint operators seemed genuinely flustered. The AT&T operators snapped back the information as if in one stroke. The Sprint operators had to leave the line, and that was AFTER I managed to carefully explain what information I needed. > [Moderator's Note: Your story illustrates how all the carriers, > including AT&T, are only as good as their front line personnel. The True, but I believe it goes a little further than that. It appears that Sprint is not fully utilizing the data being supplied by the LEC. Otherwise, why would you have to tell the operator both the called and calling number. The last time I remember having to do that was in the early sixties before TSPS. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@bovine.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !
Dave Levenson <dave%westmark@uunet.uu.net> (09/01/90)
In article <11524@accuvax.nwu.edu>, our Moderator adds: > [Moderator's Note: Your story illustrates how all the carriers, > including AT&T, are only as good as their front line personnel. The > chain is as strong as its weakest link, etc. The customer knows > nothing of the back office ... but he knows plenty about cranky > service reps; dirty, stinky payphone booths; and phones which rip off > his money. He remembers all the times the operator has sassed him. He > could care less -- if he knows anything at all -- about 195 Broadway. > That is why operators and service reps should be *highly paid* and > *highly trained and skilled*. Its what's up front that counts! PAT] The point is well taken. But on a minor technicality: AT&T no longer lives at 195 Broadway. They've moved. The corporate headquarters is now at 550 Madison Avenue (but still in NYC). This is the unusual-looking building designed by Phillip Johnson, with the "Chippendale" top design. Dave Levenson Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857 Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA AT&T Mail: !westmark!dave
bapat@uunet.uu.net> (09/08/90)
In <11398@accuvax.nwu.edu> john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: >Sprint's latest TV spot: "...We have REAL operators..." > [ Several comparisons regarding AT&T and Sprint's operator service ] Here's my story: I wanted credit for a couple of international calls I had been wrongly billed for - one over MCI and one over AT&T. MCI Billing Service Number: Made me go through an elaborate hierarchy of voice menus on the ACD ("If you want new services, press 1; if you have questions about your bill, press 2...etc.") If I had to map this menu into a directed acyclic graph, I'd get a tree with a depth of 6 or 7 or so .... anyway, once I got to the point I wanted, "Please punch in your telephone number now...." (I did so) "You have just entered XXX-XXX-XXXX.... to prevent fraudulent access to your account, please punch in your zip code now...." (I did so) "You have just entered a zip code of XXXXX... your current account balance is $132.15 ... If you want a human operator, press 0 now." (I do so). Phone rings somewhere. A recording tells me all operators are busy, please hold. Musak for about 30 seconds or so.... Operator: "May I help you." Me: (Explain problem). Operator: "May I have your telephone number please?" Me: "I just punched that in to your ACD before it routed me to you." Operator: "Huh?" Me: "You mean it didn't forward my number?" [And this is an 800 number, so presumably they could have gotten real-time ANI as well.] Operator: "No." Me: (gives number) Operator: (Arranges credit). Total transaction time: 2 mins 55 sec AT&T: Operator answers immediately. Me: (explain problem) Operator: (arranges credit). Total transaction time: 22 sec. Aside from a badly architectured operator service, MCI has a gaping security hole - the only authentication they ask for before announcing your account balance is your zip code, and it isn't too difficult to map a zip code to an area code and prefix. Subodh Bapat bapat@rm1.uu.net OR ...uunet!rm1!bapat MS E-204, PO Box 407044, Racal-Milgo, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33340 (305) 846-6068